Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra is the oldest existing orchestra in Japan, tracing its origins to the “Ito Gofukuten Boys’ Music Band”, established in Nagoya in 1911. Following its 2001 merger with the Shinsei Nihon Symphony Orchestra, it became the largest orchestra in Japan and frequently splits into two groups to give simultaneous performances. It has performed regularly at Tokyo’s most prestigious halls—Suntory Hall, Bunkamura Orchard Hall and Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall—and it remains the orchestra that most frequently provides accompaniment for opera productions in Japan, notably at the New National Theatre. The orchestra has a particular relationship with the South Korean conductor Myung-Whun Chung, who became its special artistic adviser in 2001, its Honorary Conductor Laureate in 2010, and its Honorary Music Director from 2016. In October and November 2025, the orchestra embarked on its first European tour with Chung. With Andrea Battistoni, its chief conductor since 2016, the orchestra has made several recordings on the Denon label, including Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring (2023), Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 (2025) and Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony (2026).